The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of grapevine, Vitis vinifera L., which will hereinafter be denominated varietally as the ‘Sweet Scarlet’ grapevine, and, more particularly, to a grapevine which has fruit maturing for commercial harvesting and shipment approximately August 23 in the San Joaquin Valley of central California. The fruit has an attractive red skin coloration at maturity with a muscat flavored flesh and outstanding fruit quality.
The grapevine of the present invention originated from a hand-pollinated cross of United States Department of Agriculture selection ‘C33-30’ (unpatented) and the United States Department of Agriculture selection ‘C103-141’ (unpatented) made in 1989 at the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Postharvest Quality and Genetics Research Unit plots at California State University, Fresno, in Fresno Calif. The female was ‘C33-30’ a seedless, red-fruited grapevine having reflex anthers in the flower, large oval berries with firm flesh and medium skin, and a neutral flavor. The fruit of the ‘C33-30’ ripen about one week before the instant variety. The pollen parent was ‘C103-141’ a seedless red-purple fruited grape with medium size, oval to round berries with medium skin and firm flesh. The fruit of the ‘C103-141’ grapevine ripen at the same time as the variety of the subject invention. Both of the parents of the instant cultivar are hybrids of the grapevine genus and species Vitis vinifera L.
Aborted seeds resulting from this controlled hybridization were developed further through invitro tissue culture and germinated in the laboratory during the fall of 1989. The resulting seedlings were planted in the spring of 1990 in a vineyard at the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service plots on the California State University, Fresno, campus in Fresno, Calif. The seedlings fruited in the summer of 1992 and one, the grapevine of the present invention, was selected for its attractive red seedless firm muscat flavored fruit, medium berry size, and outstanding fruit quality.
In 1993 at the inventors' direction, the grapevine of the subject invention was propagated asexually by rooting hardwood cuttings at Fresno, Calif. and a test planting of five grapevines of the subject invention was established in the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service plots on the California State University, Fresno campus. Subsequently, larger test plantings have been established with asexually multiplied grapevines of the instant invention. When hardwood cuttings were used for propagation, the instant cultivar rooted readily therefrom. All grapevines of the new variety planted from hardwood cutting propagation, fruited in the third season of growth after planting. All propagules, or resulting plants, of the present invention have been observed by the inventors to be true to type in that all asexual reproduced grapevines of the variety possessed the characteristics identical to those of the originally discovered grapevine.